Concrete forming machine



June 1940- c. M. LEATHERMAN CONCRETE FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 27,1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENT'OR.

TH E EM/q/Y June 11, 1940- c. M. LEATHERMAN CONCRETE FORMING MACHINEFiled Sept. 27, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CLARE/I65 M Lax-7THEFPMfi/Y BY 2 d/ AfioRNEYs Patented June 11,1940

UNITED smrss 'li Efl cries CONCRETE FORMING MACHINE Clarence M.Leatherman, Goldwater, Mich., as

Bronson, Mich signor of one-half to Carl H. Derrickson,

Application September 27, 1937, Serial N6. 165.8641

crete when placed in the usual curb and gutter:

f forms, to, substantiallyfthe correct contour of the in: highwayconstructions.

g the usual formybut which, in: addition thereto,

lbecome more apparent from the following del curb and! gutterdesired,leavingronly such'quantitythereoversas is requiredtfo permitfirm tampingof the concrete; 1 i

Another object of the nism, particularly adapted to the tamping ofconcrete for the formation of curbs Another object of the presentinvention is to provide amachine which will not only strike oh theconcrete to the correct contour of a curb and gutter formation aftersuch concrete is placed in will tamp the concrete to provide a solid,strong construction. r l l i Another object of the present invention isto provide a machine for formingconcrete curb and gutter constructions,which machine willprogress under its own power along; the forms providedtherefor, striking off the wet concrete placed thereintosubstantiallythe contour required by i the curb and gutter formation,and thereafter tamp such concrete, trowel the entire surface to anaccurate sectional contour and finish, and edge: both curb andgutterlongitudinally, without interrupting the forward progress of themachine.

Other objects of the present invention Will scriptionireferencebeingrhad to the accompanying drawings in which Iil lustratea. preferredform of apparatus. The essential novel features 0f the invention-will besummarized in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation of my improvedcurb-forming. machine; Fig. 2 is aplan view thereof; Fig. 3' is a frontelevation of the-machine; Fig. 4 is a, transverse section, takensubstantially along the lines t .-4- of Fig. Land Fig. 5, is afragmentary section indi-" cated by the lines 5--5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 isa diagram illustrating a dampening system for the f machine-.; a

Concrete curb and gutters are frequently formed along highways byexcavating a suitable trench and extending longitudinally. therein steelforms, such as are indicated in the drawings at A,

as comprising elongated channel members. The

concrete is generally shoveled into the forms and present invention isto provide an improved concrete tamping mechaand gutters, by theprovision of a machine whichtravelsalong forwardly in the directionofthe arrow; Fig. l, b y

I "roiai s. (o1. 94 39) :Tfhis'invention relatestto' an apparatus forsufficient quantity in addition, to permit firm tamping and troweling;Thereafter, the concrete is manually tamped and then troweled, to

r the desired contour and finish. This entails considerable manual laborand is an expensive operaticn, when contrasted with present-day methodsofconstructing concrete highways. The present invention eliminates, to agreat extent, the manual labor heretofore, required, thereby appre-.ciably decreasing the costinvolved in the construction of such highway.i This is accomplished the usual concrete forms underits own. power,

and while so traveling strikes oif the freshly poured cement, tamps theconcrete to an approx imately true contour, trowels the entire surfaceto the desired contourand finish, and edges both the curb and gutterlongitudinally while the machine progresses forwardly. l,

i In the drawings, the machine illustrated comprises a substantiallyhorizontal; main, frame III, which carries the entire mechanism; Thisframe is-supported on therconcrete forms A by two pairsof flangedrollers H which are. carried by bearing brackets 12, secured to anddepending doWn-, Wardly from the, frameui fi. This frame is drawn acable-windingmechanism carried by the frame. As shown in the drawings, amotor, such as a gasoline motor I", is mounted on the frame H] adjacentthe rear end thereof, and is connected by'a driving belt iii, to a drivepulley ll, carried by a transversely extending shaftlB, which isjournalled in upstanding bracket members 19;, supported by the framelh,Drivingly secured to the shaft i8 is a worm 26,, which meshes with aWormgear 2 carried by a jack shaft 32, .supported in suitable bearingbrackets 23,.Whi0h, like the brackets Ii are carried by the frame iii. 1The shaft 22 extends rearwardly relative to the. base iii and hassecured thereto a Worm 24, whichengages a worm wheel 25, drivinglysecured to a cross-shaft it.

The shaft 26 is journalled in bearing brackets 21,

3| in the face of such drum. A cable 33 has one end thereof secured tothe'winding drum, while the other end carries a hook or other attachingI device 34.

The operation of the cable mechanism is as follows: When the machine isfirst started in operation, the plunger is withdrawn and the cable 33pulled forward until substantially the entire length has been unwoundfrom the winding drum, whereupon the hook 34 is attached to a crossmember, not shown, but which joins the two forms A. The plunger is thenmoved into operative position-that is, into engagement with the windingdrum. The mechanism is then ready 'for operation, and consequent uponthe operation of the motor it will be drawn forwardly at the desiredrate of speed.

The striking mechanisrm'wliich guides the corn crete into place betweenthe forms and levels such concrete off substantially to the desiredcontour of the curb, is carried at the forward end of the frame i0. Asshown, a bracket 46 is pivoted to the frame H], as at 4|, and extendsforwardly thereof. The bracket supports adjacent its forward end thecontour forming or striking off blade 42 which levels off the concrete.The

bracket also supports side plates, 54 and 45,

which serve to guide the concrete into place between the forms prior tothe striking operation.

It is found that different materials, as well as different soilconditions, require varying amounts of concrete in excess of thefinished contour, to permit or make allowance for firm tamping. Itherefore support the striking mechanism at its forward end by a pair ofrollers '46, which are carried by brackets 41 mounted on the frame 40,through the medium of bolts48, which engage slotted openings in thebracket 40, thus permitting the striker mechanism to be adjustedvertically to leave the desired surplus concrete, as is required, forfirm tapping.

As the machine progresses forward, the concrete which has been roughlycontoured by the striking mechanism just described, is firmly tamped toapproximately the true contour. The tamping mechanism isbest'illustrated in Fig; 4. As there shown, I provide three tampers,namely, a tamper 50, a tamper 5| and a tamper 52, which form uppersurfaces of the gutter, the sidewalls of the curb, and the top wall ofthe curb, respectively. The tampers 50 and 52 are mounted for verticalreciprocation in the frame I'U, whereas the tamper 5| is mounted for asubstantially transverse movement in the frame ll).

As illustrated, the tamper 5!] is supported by a pair of plungers 55,which are slidably mounted in'vertically extending guideways 56, carriedby the frame l0. At their upper ends, these plungers 55 have securedthereto yokes 51, carrying pins 58, to which connecting rods 59 arepivotally mounted in the usual manner. The upper end of these connectingrods are rotatably journalled oncrank formations 60, formed on the shaftl8, heretofore described. The tamper 52 is similarly mounted on aplunger 55a, mounted in a vertically extending guideway 56a, and isoperated by a connecting red 5911, which likewise is operatedby a crank69 on the shaft l8.

The tamper 5|, which tamps the side walls of the curb,,is secured to onearm of a bell crank 6|, pivoted to the main frame Ill as at 62, andextends through a slot 63 therein. The other arm of this bell crank isconnected by a ball and socket joint,'generally indicated at 64, with aconnecting'rod 65, which likewise is connected to a, crank formation 50of the shaft l8. Both the tampers 50 and 52 are threadingly secured totheir respective plungers 55 and 55a, and are locked into adjustedposition thereon by lock nuts 66. tamper 5| is likewise adjustablypositioned on the bell crank 62 by bolts 61. The arrangement of thecranks on the shaft I8 is such that the tamper 50 rises as the tampers5| and 52 move toward the curb formation and vice versa. These tampers,of course, operate in timed relationship to the forward movement of themachine, inasmuch as the winding drum is likewise driven from the shaftl8, as heretofore described.

After the concrete has been tamped by the tampers 50, 5| and 52, it istroweled by a suitable trowel, which is arranged to trowel or smooth theentire surface of the tamped concrete to the desired contour and finish.Referring again to Fig. 1, directly to the rear of the tampers, I mounta shoe 10, which has, a surface contour which is complementary to thedesired contour of the fin ished curb and gutter formation. The forwardedge of this shoe is tapered as at I I, so that it will not bite intothe tamped concrete, but will engage the same in a manner similar'tothat of a trowel handled by a workman, thus giving the concrete thedesired contour and finish.

The trowel 10 is likewise adjustably'securedto the frame Ill through theuse of threaded studs 12, which are pivotally secured to the trowel asat T3, and are adjustably positioned for a raising and lowering movementin the frame I0 by nuts 14.

After the concrete has been troweled, both curb and gutter are engagedby fillet-like edgers The 80, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, which serve toround dotted lines 82 on Fig. 1.

ets 83, by bolts 84. These brackets are pivotally mounted as at 85 tothe frame I0, and are provided with forwardly extending arms throughwhich adjusting studs 86 pass, suchstuds engag-'= ing brackets 81 whichsupport' the pivots 85, thereby regulating the depth to which the edgersare forced into the concrete.

If desired, I may mount, forward of each of the wheels of the frame ID,a suitable bracket 90 to support strips or members 9| in the form ofcom-' paratively rigid fabric strips such as heavy duck 01' canvas.

The engine orpower plant l5, heretofore de'-' scribed, is mounted on abase plate 95, which is slidably mounted on a stationary guide 96 formedon the frame I 0, and is slid back and forth by the operation of a lever91. This lever is's'ecured to a shaft 98, to which is also securedapinion 99. The pinion 99 engages a rack I00, formed on the' motormounting plate '95. This construction is to eliminate the need of anyother clutch between the motor and thedriving pulley 11. When the lever91 is operated to move the motor forward, the belt l6 becomes loose onthe'driving pulley |6a of the motor, and, when the lever is moved" toslide the motor in the rearward direction to tighten the belt, afriction clutch action is obtained, as I use a'V-shaped driving belt andcor-1 respondingly shaped pulleys.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a dampening system for supplying a'limitedamountof water to the surface of the concrete and thereby enable.

the production of avery smooth surfaced curb and gutter formation. .Asshown in, Figs. 1 and 6; I'mount a suitable water tank i'lll above theframe. A conduit HI leads from this tank to points ahead of the tamper50 andtrowel 10. A

plurality of relatively small open-ended tubes I I2 projectdownward fromthese conduits toward the surface of the concrete. Each tube is providedwith a valve I It to regulate the flow through such :tube independent ofthe flow through the other tubes, and a main valve I I4 is inserted inthe conduit H I to enable the flow to be stopped without amount of curband gutter which may be formed in a given length of time, and which willprovide a uniform construction. Likewise, the use of this invention willeliminate the usual curb face rail or form, which is otherwise requiredto be positioned substantially in position of the tamper of Fig. 4.Likewise, by providing a mechanical tamping, a much dryer mix ofconcrete may be utilized, thus giving far greater strength to theresultant concrete construction, permitting the form to be removed morequicklyfrom the concrete than was heretofore possible, and I eliminatethe necessity for waiting until the cement preliminarily cures beforethe troweling operation may be carried out. Thus, it will be seen that Ihave provided a machine which not only eliminates manual labor, butwhich also requires a much smaller quantity of forms than has beenrequired in the past, and which will produce a i better and strongerconcrete curb and gutter construction.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the

combination with a frame, of a power mechanism to advance theframe alonga pair of longitudinally extending form rails, means pivotally mountedadjacent the forward edge of such frame ,adapted and arranged to guideconcrete into position between the pair of form rails and to strike thesurplus concrete therefrom to form the contour desired for a curb andgutter formation, a substantially vertically reciprocable tampermechanism carried by said frame and operatively connected to said motorto tamp upper surfaces of the formed concrete, a substantiallyhorizontally reciprocable tamper operatively connected to said motor totamp a substantially ver tical surface of the concrete, and a trowelcarried by said frame and adapted and arranged to simultaneously trowelboth tramped surfaces of the concrete to the desired contour and finish,and an edging mechanism adapted to trowel off the corners of theconcrete adjacent the form r rails.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with aframe, of a power mechanism to advance the frame along a pair oflongitudinally extending spaced rails, means carried by said frame toguide concrete into position between the pair of rails, and to formtheexposed surface of the concrete to substantially the dedesired, aplurality of vertically reciprocable tamper mechanisms and asubstantially horizontally reciprocable tamper mechanism, carried by isaid frame, and operatively formed concrete, a

troweling mechanism adjustably carried bysaid frame and adapted totrowel the tamped concrete to the desired contour and finish.

3. In a curb and gutter-forming machine, in

combination with a frame, of a concrete guide and strike off mechanismhorizontally pivoted to said frameand extending forwardly thereof, apair of wheels supporting the forward end of such strike-off mechanism,said wheels being adjustable vertically relative to said mechanism, apair of vertically reciprocable tampers slidably mounted for verticalmovement in said frame, and a motor carried by said frame andoperatively connected to said tampers to cause said tampers to engageand tamp the top surfaces of a curb andgutter concrete formation, athird tamper carried by said frame and movable in a substantiallytransverse direction thereto to tampa side wall of the. curb, and meansconnecting said lastnamed tamper with said motor for operation thereby,a trowel carried by said frame to trowel the tamped concrete, and meansoperated by said motor to cause the machine to be progressed in timedrelation to the tamping operation.

l. In a curb and gutter forming machine, a

wheel supported frame, a motor mounted on said frame, a verticallymovable tamper to tamp the horizontal surfaces of a concrete gutterformation and asecond tamper movable in a substantially horizontaldirection to tamp the horizontal surface of a concrete curb formation,and means operated by said motor to drive said tampers.

5. In a curb and gutter forming machine, .a frame, wheels to supportsaid frame, a motor mounted on said frame, a vertically movable tamperto tamp the horizontal surfaces of the gutter formation and a secondtamper movable in a substantially horizontal direction to tamp thehorizontal surface of the curb formation, and

means operated by said motor to. operate said tampers alternately,

6. In a curb and gutter forming machine, a

wheel supported frame, a motor mounted on said. frame, means operated bysaid motor to propel said frame, a vertically reciprocable tamper totamp the horizontal surface of the gutter formation, a second verticallyreciprocable tamper to tamp the vertical surface of the curb formation,

, a bell crank pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis extendinglengthwise of said frame and having one arm thereof depending downwardrelative to said frame and another arm extending substantiallyhorizontally, a third tamper secured to the depending arm of said bellcrank and arranged and adapted to engage the vertical surface of thecurb formation, a crank shaft carried by said frame and operativelyconnected to said motor, connecting rods interconnected between saidcrank shaft and said first mentioned tampers and between said crankshaft and the horizontal arm of said bell crank, said crank shaft beingarranged and adapted to actuate the curb tampers in unison and thegutter tamper in an alternate relation to the curb tampers, and a trowelto act on all of the tamped surfaces simultaneously.

7. In a curb and gutter forming machine, a frame, a pair of supportingwheels at the forward end of said frame, a second pair of supportingwheels at the rearward end of said frame,

a motor slidably mounted on'said frame, means operated by said motor topropel said frame, vertically reciprocable tampers to tamp thehorizontal surfaces of the curb gutter formation, a second tampermovable in a substantially horizontal direction and arranged and adaptedto tamp the vertical surface of the curb formation, a crank shaftcarried by said frame and operatively connected to said motor by adriving belt whereby when the motor is moved to its rearward positionsaid crank shaft will be actuated and when the motor is moved to itsforward position said crank shaft will be idle, and connecting rodsinterconnected between said crankshaft and the tamper's, said crankshaft being arranged and adapted to actuate the curb tampers in unisonand the gutter tamper in an alternate relation to the curb tampers, anda trowel to act on all tamped surfaces simultaneously, a strike-offmechanism connected to said frame and extending forwardly thereof, andadapted to strike-oil the concrete prior to its engagement with saidtampers, and means to adjust said strike-off mechanism verticallyrelative to said frame as desired. I

CLARENCE M. LEATHERMAN.

